Presidential race a dead heat

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President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney remain deadlocked more than a week after Romney selected Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan as his running mate, according to the most recent round of polling.

An Associated Press/GfK poll published Wednesday shows 47 percent of registered voters back Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, while 46 percent support Romney and Ryan. The 1-point difference was within the survey’s margin of error.

While Ryan has not provided a major boost, according to the poll, he has made the GOP ticket more likeable. The House Budget Committee chairman has a higher net favorability rating than both Romney and Biden, who have negative ratings, the survey showed. A quarter of voters still have not formed opinions of Ryan.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Wednesday showed Ryan is especially popular among seniors -- the voting bloc Obama’s reelection campaign is working to turn against Ryan by slamming his proposed Medicare reform.

Fifty percent of seniors view Ryan favorably, according to the Post/ABC survey, compared to 35 percent who view him unfavorably. Ryan’s 15-point net positive rating among seniors is more than triple his positive rating among the general population.

Ryan has proposed introducing a voucher program to Medicare, beginning with new program participants in 2034, that would encourage future seniors to purchase private insurance. Because the annual increase in the vouchers’ value would be capped, future seniors could be left with higher out-of-pocket expenses if the cost of private insurance grows too rapidly.

In an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday, Obama led Romney, 48 percent to 44 percent. The president’s 4-point edge was just outside the poll’s 3.1 percent margin of error.

The New York Times’ FiveThirtyEight blog on Wednesday rounded up more than two dozen swing state polls released since Aug. 1. The summary showed the presidential race is tight not only across the entire country but also in the states most likely to decide the outcome of the election.

Out of 26 total polls, Obama led 13, Romney led 11, and two were exact ties.